Persona DX: Into Abyss
by nebby-chan
Summary: Three friends find themselves disillusioned with society and on the receiving end of a strange and foreboding letter from a mysterious "N," offering them a deal. They must fight for survival against other Persona users under the guidance of other mysterious figures, using a special edge: the Abyssal Persona. Persona AU, liberties taken. The "DX" stand for "Deluxe"!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Life is really like a daze, isn't it?

Gently, pink petals were drifting through the sky. The sun was high in the sky, without a single cloud in sight. It was balmy, but not hot. Damon sat under the shade of a cherry tree anyway, leaning back against the bench he was seated on. He held out his hand and a petal fell onto his hand. With his other hand, daring not disturb his newfound treasure, he pushed some of his long black bangs out of his eyes. Is this petal real? He opened his fingers more, and allowed the petal to flutter away. Are my hands real? He sat back, adjusting the hood from his sweatshirt so it sat more comfortably over his head. From his pocket, he produced a single cigarette and a lighter, and lit the end, taking in a long breath.

"Those things will kill you, you know."

Damon jerked to attention. A voice had suddenly come from behind him, startling him out of his daze. Leaning over the back of the bench with a head resting on her arms was a peculiar girl dressed in a loose white shirt and slim fitted jeans. Her hair was bright, dyed crimson and drawn up in a single tail that hand from the side of her head, accented by her piercing green eyes.

"Dammit, Amanda," Damon muttered, exasperated. "I told you not to sneak up on me like that."

She hopped over the back of the bench, taking a seat beside him. A playful grin crawled on her face. "You just need to stop being so easy to scare!" With a quick swipe of her hand, Amanda had swiped the cigarette from Damon and quickly put it up to her own lips. After a moment, she began coughing lightly, handing it back to Damon with disgust. "Hell, man, that's awful." She stuck out her tongue. "I'm so glad I quit that stuff. I don't even know why I liked them at all."

Damon chuckled. "We all have our vices." He blew out some smoke. "At least I don't go around bragging about how I beat mine."

She raised an eyebrow. "You'd have to give enough of a shit to try. Then, maybe, you'd beat a few."

He shot a glare back at her, discarding the butt of his cigarette with an absent minded flick. "Is Spencer coming too?"

Amanda nodded. "He texted me a few minutes ago that he had left campus. Granted, that was probably a lie, but that gives us a ten minute window in which he should arrive." She chuckled lightly. "How are classes for you?"

Damon shook his head. "They're all online this semester. Thank god." He adjusted his hood more, pulling it further up on his head. "Classes are always easy, though."

She laughed. "You're really something, Damon." She pressed her fingers together pensively, glancing around a few times, betraying her previously cheery mood. A facade, Damon knew, but she was always a great actress. "Have you found anything out about those weird emails? Do honestly think we're in danger?"

Damon raised a finger to his lips and shushed her gently. "We'll talk when Spencer gets here. He's seen them too." His head hung low. "Don't look to anxious. We don't know if we're being watched; even here."

Amanda sat more upright, and assumed her former act of cheerfulness. "Have you switched brands of cigarette?" She ran her tongue around the inside of her mouth a few times thoughtfully. "They taste different than I remember."

Damon nodded once. "Yeah, I switched out of menthols. The taste started getting way too... Fake? I guess you can say that." He sighed. "I've been having a real rough time of it lately, actually. I'm sorry if you've been worried, since I haven't been texting much and all. Nothing really makes sense anymore, and after the email, I really just needed to meet up with you guys."

An arm fell across Damon, pulling him close to Amanda, resting the side of his head in against the side of her chest. Damon didn't look up, but he could sense the smile Amanda was wearing. "Stupid, we're always going to be here for you." She paused for a moment, thinking. "Well, Spencer is kinda unreliable. But you can always count on me."

Damon smiled gently, appreciating the warmth that was radiating from Amanda. She was always so warm. The pair staid like that for a few minutes, silently, enjoying the sounds of birds chirping in the distance. Groups of people sat in the grassy area behind them, enjoying the park on this beautiful day. At least, in the moment, things felt normal.

"Am I interrupting something?"

After those several minutes, a familiar voice jolted the pair to attention. Damon jerked upright, and Amanda blushed, brushing herself off. The man laughed, plopping down on the other side of Damon, and mockingly pulling him into the same embrace.

"I love you little Advent!" he cooed, pretending to give Damon little kisses.

Amanda groaned. "Jesus, Spencer, can you take this a little seriously?!" She crossed her arms, and in that moment, he released his captive, allowing Damon to sit upright and awkwardly let his head hand.

Spencer was a physical specimen; he was extremely muscular and stood a full head taller than Damon. He sure acted like it, too. His hair was cut short on the sides and styled up into a sloppy pompadour; which he claimed was the way his hair naturally styled. His hair was also orange; which fit his personality nicely. He was wearing a black t-shirt with some heavy metal band's album cover on it, and baggy grey sweatpants.

"Sorry, Mandy, I just hate seeing you too so depressing!" He laughed loudly, slapping Damon on the back. "Like, you two are sitting here like a couple of lovebirds who just lost their cat. Cheer up!"

Damon glared sideways at Spencer, readjusting his hood to a where it had been before, shadowing most of his face. "You know why I called you here. Does the seriousness of the situation not bother you at all?" He spoke quietly, through his teeth. "I mean, I wanted you to act normal, not annoying."

Spencer frowned. "Comeon' Advent! Cheer up! You've been pranked! She's been pranked! I've been pranked!" He sat back, facing forward like the other two. "The two of you take everything so freakin' seriously. If we freaked out like this every time someone wanted something to do with you, Damon, we'd all have had heart attacked when we were still kids!"

Amanda jumped to Damon's defense. "This one is different, Spencer. You read it to!" She faced forward again. "They knew way too much."

"Yeah, well, I still don't buy it." Spencer crossed his arms over his chest.

Damon sighed. He stood up, keeping his head low. "Come on, guys." He turned his back on them, stopping a few paces away to allow them to stand and come to his side. "Let's go get some coffee."

* * *

The coffee shop the trio usually frequented was a small establishment located in a dark corner of a back street of a very popular shopping district. The funny thing was, however, the place was nearly always empty, aside for the stoic, sunglasses-wearing bartender; dressed in his black vest, slacks, white dress shirt and slim black tie. Believe it or not, the owner of Cafe Schwarzenberg was a man in his middle thirties with a wife and two children he was extremely proud of. This man, named Jon, or just "Boss", was an enigma in every sense of the word. But he ran the only Vienna-style coffee house in the entirety of Gaia City.

Damon pushed the door opened, and once inside, he lowered his hood, shaking out his choppy black hair. He gave a nod to Boss. "Hello, Jon."

"Welcome to the Schwarz, my favorite regulars." His tone was deep but even, not betraying even a single emotion.

Spencer laughed, coming in after both Amanda and Damon. "Favorite regulars? Why, I bet you say that to everyone that walks into your damn place."

Despite wearing sunglasses to hide his eyes, the eyebrows above them betrayed his glare at Spencer. "Welcome, Mr. Smith." When he saw Amanda, his expression softened slightly. "When, if it isn't Ms. Schonn. Welcome to the Schwarz, my dear."

Amanda beamed a smile at him, giving a gentle bow of her head. "Thank you, Mr. Boss."

Jon seemed to blush lightly, and turned to a coffee syphon to his right. "I'll get working on your usual orders right away. Have a seat wherever."

The trio walked around the bar and took a seat at a marble table in the rear corner of the shop, giving them an easy view of the door. Amanda and Damon sat beside one another, facing the direction of the door, while Spencer sat opposite them.

Damon pulled his phone from his pocket, punched in his pin, and quickly brought up the email in question. Amanda quickly followed suit, as well as Spencer. Damon cleared his throat.

"This is what the email says: 'You, as well as your two friends, are hereby put on notice. I name you, Damon Advent, Champion of Sloth, and your companions to join me at this address in three days. If you do not appear, you will be held in contempt. You acedia know no boundaries. Listed below are your charges.'" He locked his phone once more and slid it back into his pocket. "The email listed pages and pages of things I've done. Things I didn't even realize I've done."

Amanda nodded. "Mine read the exact same, but it called me 'Champion of Envy.' I don't know who they are, but they even knew about things I did as a child. It's really freaking me out."

Spencer scoffed, tucking his phone away. "Bastard called me 'Champion of Greed.' Whatever that means, anyway." He shook his head slowly. "I didn't even read the whole thing. I don't know who's prying, but I've got a few words to say to them."

Amanda blinked a few times. "You're honestly thinking about going on Friday?"

"I don't know about your, Mandy, but I don't take kindly to people who apparently stalk me." Spencer rocked back on his chair, balancing it on two legs. "You're with me, right, Damon?"

Damon stared at the table, idly dragging his finger back and forth across it. "I'm more interested in the last line of the email, actually." He looked at Spencer, piercing him with his cold, blue eyes. "Since you didn't read it all, you wouldn't know. After the list, after the 'crimes' and the location, it says: 'Calling all those lost in this so-called reality. Come, and see what reality really is.'" Spencer raised an eyebrow. "It's like... Whoever wrote that is living in my head, right now. They know how I feel, and dammit I know both of you are sick of the same shit every single day." Damon nodded. "I'm going with you, Spencer."

Amanda sighed, sliding her phone back into her back pocket. "I guess I don't have much choice, then." A gentle smile climbed to her face. "It's just like when we were kids, too." She clenched her fist, resting it on the table. "Let's go find out whatever the hell this is, then."

Spencer sat forward again, and in the same motion as Amanda, placed his first against hers. "Let's go knock his teeth in."

Damon slid his fist into the group, too, giving a simple nod. "Whatever this is, we'll all survive. We always do."

Suddenly, the clatter of cups brought them all to attention, as Jon came around the bar with their orders. He approached the table grabbing a cup to place before each of his customers. "Mr. Advent, dark roast and black. I made sure to add a touch of espresso, as you like it." He placed an extremely small cup in front of Amanda. "Ms. Schon, enjoy my special Turkish coffee. Fresh from boiling; make sure to drink it quickly!" With a dissatisfied grimace, a cup was placed in front of Spencer. "For you, Mr. Smith, a house blend, light and sweet."

Spencer lifted his cup, giving a nod to Jon. "Thanks, Boss. You make the best coffee in this whole damn city."

Jon gave a slight bow. "If you need me, simply call."

Once he had left, Damon took a light sip of his coffee, letting out a satisfied sigh. "Damn, I needed that." Absently, he began chewing some of the skin from around his thumb. "I wonder what we're going to find on Friday..."

Amanda pulled Damon's hand away from his mouth. "I thought you quit that."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I've been starting up again. It's a bad habit."

* * *

It was that night, hours after the group had disbanded, the Damon found himself staring at his ceiling from his bed. From the window of his dormitory room, he could hear the occasional car pass, creating a somewhat soothing and soft melody. The light was blocked, however, by the black sheets he had hung in the windows. Clothes and other dirty laundry were strew around the small room, and behind his head, hidden in a nook in the wall, was his computer desk, which gave off a faint blue glow into the room. All was quiet, and extremely peaceful, allowing Damon to easily start drowsing.

Every single time his eyelids fell, he glimpsed a certain room. It was odd at first, keeping him awake longer than he should have, but eventually, with each blink, his eyes became harder to open. For the final time, his eyes closed, and he sat up, eyes open, in a padded violet chair. Was this a dream? Damon idly began tracing his fingers across the fabric of the chair he was seated in. Velvet. The softest velvet he had ever felt in his life. His eyes began scanning the room. It was like the inside of a classroom, but a smaller one, made for only a handful of students. The windows on the right hand wall were not obstructed, but they seemed to show an endless black void in the distance. The chair that he was seated on was the only one, seated a few risers from the bottom of the classroom, where a single immaculate wooden desk was empty. When he blinked, a figure had taken his seat there, making Damon fidget slightly.

The man was older; blading atop his head, with shaggy grey hair wrapping the sides of his head like a band. He was dressed in a black suit, tie and all, with his legs crossed idly, one over the other. He was leaning forward, hands together and fingers intertwined, seemingly interested in the lone subject of the room. Finally, Damon noticed his perplexingly long nose, behind which sunken eyes glinted with light, and a toothy grin was curled back.

"Damon Advent. Welcome to my Velvet Room." His voice was higher pitched than expected, but still somewhat sinister. "My name is Igor. I think you will find this place invaluable in your upcoming mission."

Damon blinked a few times. "What's happening?" This was a strangely interactive nightmare, Damon realized. Could it be that this was real? "Are you behind those weird emails?"

Igor shook his head slowly. "I am not, my boy. I am, however, someone who knows the game you will be playing, and knows how it is stacked against you."

"Game? What game?"

Igor chuckled. "In time, Damon. Rome wasn't built in a day, and my job isn't to explain the rules anyway." His leg, which he had been swaying idly, suddenly stopped. "I'm here to offer you a deal. Services, if you will. The power to protect you and your friends from a destruction currently destined." He held out his hand, and in his palm, two tarot cards seemed to be floating inches from his white gloves. "These souls belong to your friends. I'm going to give you three a special power; one which will hopefully be enough to carry you through."

Damon sat forward. "What does any of this mean?"

Igor began glowing, seemingly becoming more transparent. "You were born of wealth and had that taken from you. Seize your destiny, Damon Advent." Gently, he began evaporating into glowing dust. "Only when you become disillusioned with society can you seize this power. The power of..."

In reality, Damon jerked awake. It was morning; the outdoor commotion confirmed that information. He was drenched in sweat, despite the room being chilled from his blaring air conditioner. Face clenched in his hand, Damon could only mutter a single word. The very same word said by the enigmatic Igor before he completely vanished.

"Persona..."

It was Thursday morning, now. Damon threw his legs over the side of the bed, and stood up, adjusting his underwear slightly to keep everything in place. He glanced at the calendar. Thursday, May 12, 20XX. The previous night's ordeal had been harrowing, but strangely, Damon felt more motivated than ever. Only those disillusioned by society... Damon turned on his heel, and noticed an envelope had been slipped under his door. He opened it, and beheld his beautiful cursive handwriting that greeted him.

"My dear friend, I write you this letter as a way to remind you of our fated meeting tomorrow evening. Remember; if you do not choose to attend, a punishment befitting your designation will be levied, and it is unlikely that any will survive. I strongly encourage those of your reading this to please attend. Let no one know of this note. The game is set for only a select number of players. Your's truly; N."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Friday, May 13, 20XX

Evening

The meeting place was a backstreet bar, buried deep in the commercial district of Gaia City. It was called "Kadath," and gave off a purple hue into the dark alleyway in which it was hidden. Damon stood outside, hood drawn over his head, quietly enjoying a cigarette. He could hear footsteps approaching after a few minutes, and looked up to see Amanda, beaming at him brightly. Her hair was a dark auburn color, which complimented her green eyes nicely.

"Hi Damon!" she chirped, taking a spot at his side. "Can I bum one?"

Damon let out a sigh, slid a pack out from his sweatshirt pocket, and retrieved one for her. He then held out his lighter, which she graciously accepted. "I thought you quit." Damon looked at her with a coy grin. That was what she had said to him yesterday, after all.

She frowned at him. "If you can tell me you aren't stressed out, I'll give you that one."

Damon snickered. "Yeah, you're right. I am stressed out." He flicked the butt into the distance, where it bounced off of the wall and fell to the ground. "That note was weird. But at least we have a name..." He paused momentarily. "A designation for our captor."

"Oh, you're talking about that note?" Damon hadn't heard Spencer approach. He was standing where Amanda had come from, oddly punctual for his type. This scared the two of them, making them jump.

"Freakin' hell, Spencer!" Amanda cried, reclaiming her previous position. "Why are you on time today?"

Spencer laughed. "I don't feel like dying, that's why. I mean, there's no way any of this shit's real, but I'm not going to risk it. Especially if my friends are involved."

She scoffed. "Yeah, right. You want to save your own skin, bastard."

Damon stood upright, lifted his watch check the time, and nodded once to no one in particular. "It's time."

Right at that moment, the light door clicked and slowly creaked open. The trio stood upright, at attention, but no figure emerged. Instead, strangely, the door seemed to be wordlessly calling out to them, drawing them forward. Amanda dropped the remainder of her cigarette and stamped it out, nodding to both of her companions. "Let's see what's in store for us."

The interior was that of a classic bar. It was high class for sure; composed entirely of dark wood and immaculate marble tile, with a huge circle of stained glass in the center of the shelves of drinks behind the bar. It was that glass giving the area the purple glow, making it almost otherworldly. Damon was cautiously leading, with Amanda and Spencer following closely behind. The three of them all let out noises of mild curiosity and confusion. It was then Damon noted the man behind the bar. It was a man with short and clean-cut white hair, although he was young based on his features. He was wearing a vest over his pristine white shirt which was adorned with a black bow tie. His eyes were an otherworldly green color, and seemed to glow, as he stared at his three guests. One of his eyes, the left one, was set in black sclera, sending a shiver through Damon.

"Welcome to The Palace, dear patrons." His voice was deep but silky smooth, adding another strangely enticing layer to his appearance. "No need to introduce yourselves; I know more about the three of you than you probably know about yourselves."

Damon swallowed hard, and pulled his hood down from over his head. "If you know who we are, we can cut to the important stuff. Who are you? Why are you sending us strange messages?"

The man gave an elegant smile and a slight bow. "Well then, allow me to skip the courtesies. My name is Howard, and I am the man in charge of this bar, as well as the channeler for my Master, who will meet with you tonight."

Spencer raised an eyebrow. "Channeler? The hell is that?"

Howard somewhat idly rested a finger on his cheek, thinking momentarily in an exaggerated way. He shrugged, before finally answering the question. "My master is a bit stranger than you'd think. Think of me like a phone, and he speaks through me."

Damon blinked a few times. "Just who is your master? What does he want?"

Howard took back to standing upright, and grinned at Damon. "You'll learn soon enough." He turned to the far end of the bar, where a large metal door was shut tight. "My master awaits you in his chamber. Please, I'll open the door and you can speak with him yourselves."

Without moving, only once blinked, the door suddenly slammed open, revealing a pitch black void. From it, all three of them began shuddering vigorously. Damon slumped to his knees, while Amanda fell onto her backside. Only Spencer remained standing, holding himself upright against the bar.

"What is this?" Damon's thought came through his mouth without him even realizing it. His head was splitting open, making his right eye twitch from the pain.

"That's my master." Howard was completely unfazed, and just like that, the presence was gone. He was smiling, although blood was running down from his blackened left eye. He began rubbing the inside of a glass with a cloth in his hand, seemingly unaware of the bleeding. "I wanted the three of you to feel my master's power before I allowed you to see him. Run along; he hates to be kept waiting."

Spencer righted himself, and reached out his hand to pull Amanda to her feet as well. She obliged, and stood up, followed a moment later by Damon, who was still cringing in pain from a massive headache. The group walked on nervously, into the dark hall, which seemed to lead them deeper and deeper; too deep to make sense to Damon. Finally, they came into a large and empty room, dimly lit to allow only the faintest of sight, which did little anyway. It was entirely barren minus a small chair in the center of the room, upon which was the person they had came to see. The figure was entirely black, seeming to absorb the dim lights rather than reflect them, that formed the vague shape of a very tall man. His eyes did not seem visible, although he notably sat upright upon the entry into the room.

"Welcome." The words seemed to come from the same voice as Howard, although the man was nowhere to be found. "You may call me N. At your current state, you're too weak to full grasp my name and my power. You may have even noticed that this is not my voice, but the voice of my attendant. This is a fact." The figure seemed bemused, strangely, despite giving off very little in the way of graspable features. "At this state, you could not even bear to handle my voice."

The figure held out his hand, and in it, three tarot cards instantly took shape and began to orbit around the center of his hand. "You have little say in this matter. You will be my champions, and wield my own special Personas." The cards flew out, each taking a place in front of one of the trio.

"Spencer Smith." Immediately, Spencer flinched, standing more upright. His tarot floated to within eyeshot, revealing the Arcana. "You will be the Strength Arcana." Spencer reach out and touched the card, which evaporated instantly. "You will soon learn the name of your Persona. It will call out to your heart."

"Amanda Schonn." Damon could tell her was terrified, so gently, he took her hand in his, allowing her to squeeze it tightly. "You are the Arcana of Death." She flinched slightly, as her tarot card evaporated in front of her.

Finally, the figure seemed to train attention on Damon, becoming even more bemused than before. "Finally, Damon Advent. You are certainly the most special of my new group of friends." A curled grin of jagged, pointed teeth opened on the figure, sending a wave of fear through Damon that shook him to his core. His entire body went rigid.

"The Moon." The card spun, revealing the frowning celestial body. "You already know the name of your Persona, don't you?"

Damon wet his lips slightly, before nodding.

"You were visited by a very enigmatic stranger in your dreams, weren't you?"

Damon nodded once more.

"Very well."

Suddenly, Damon collapsed to his hands and knees, brought down by the immense pressure from before. Amanda tried to reach for him, but in that moment he fell, both she and Spencer vanished into clouds of dust, as well as every dim light in the room, leaving him seizing on the floor. Every time his eyes beheld the strange man in the chair, he became racked with pain. Fluid was running down his cheek, which he thought were tears, but in reality, it was streaks of blood running out of his eyes.

"Say the name."

Damon was convulsing on the floor. His teeth were completely fused shut. He could not speak.

"Say the name that calls back to your from this abyss. Say the name of the abyss that calls you." The figure stood, seeming to grow thirty feet instantly. "Become the abyss. Become Persona."

Damon slammed his fist into the ground, able to somewhat regain composure. He pushed onto his hands and knees and let out a scream. Curled ram horns grew from the sides of his head, wrapping around in a spiral. His teeth began growing more pointed, as when he bit into his lip, blood trailed down it. A reddish black hue began to emanate from his form.

"You will be my weapon against my enemies. You will become an Abyssal Persona."

Damon stood, shaking, dripping and blood and tears. He mumbled a single name.

"Zagreus."

Damon returned once more to the dark room, where his friends both stood. The two of them had approached him and had been shaking him, trying to pull him back from a trance. Amanda, noticing his return to being lucid, threw her arms around him.

"Damon! Thank god, Damon!"

Warmth. Her body was warm.

Damon realized her hadn't moved at all. The entire episode had happened inside of his mind. When he rubbed the back of his hand to his cheek, he pulled it back to reveal red streaks of blood.

"Damon, what happened?"

The figure was still in his seat.

"I will contact you with more, Damon."

Suddenly, without warning, the group was outside. The bar had completely vanished, and instead, they were in an empty alley. Spencer spun around on his heels a few times.

"What the hell?"

Damon regained his ability to move. He immediately slumped down to his knees, letting out long, shallow breaths. Amanda followed him down, as well as Spencer, who helped him onto his feet.

"What happened?" Amanda face him, allowing Spencer to easier hold Damon up with an arm up and over the shoulder.

Damon shook his head slowly. "We seriously stepped in it now, guys." He stared at the ground. "Whatever that guy is... We'd better do what he says."

Amanda nodded. "After he told us about Arcana and Persona, whatever that means, you just froze up and started... Well... You started to just cry blood. It was sudden."

"He destroyed my mind... Completely..." Damon was trying to drag up words about the strange dream he had two nights prior, but found himself unable to. In fact, as he started thinking harder, the details became more fuzzy. What was the guys name? Isaac? Edward? And why did he look weird? Didn't he have big ears? Before he could think any further, a headache split his head, and he broke free from Spencer, who obliged easily, allowing Damon that space.

"What's wrong, dude?" Spencer looked around, and rested his eyes upon a figure standing at the end of the alley.

Damon pulled his hood over his head, and for some reason, his right eye began twitching against his will. "That man is dangerous." Damon stepped past his friends, throwing out an arm to block them both. "You can't call Persona, right?"

Amanda shook her head, while Spencer gave a resigned "No."

"We need to run."

He spun on a heel, giving Spencer a shove with one arm, while hooking Amanda's arm in another. "Go! Go!"

The man standing at the end of the alleyway lifted his arm, and a small smile came to his face. "Magaru." Damon looked over his shoulder and watched as from his back, an otherworldly figure emerged from his back, and without a moment of hesitation fired a huge blast of wind at its targets. In a flash, Damon shoved both of his friends, planted his foot, and jumped back into the blast of wind, taking the impact by himself.

"Damon!" Amanda screamed, and his body was fired into one of the sides of the alleyway, before bouncing off, flying into the other side, and eventually settling into a pile of garbage beside a nearby dumpster. Everything in his body was screaming in pain. Small trickles of blood were dripping down his face, coming from a few cuts opened up from the impact.

Footsteps echoed from the alleyway. The figure was approaching them, slowly, menacingly. Damon slowly lifted his head and blinked the blood and tears from his eyes. The man was unassuming to a fault; not very tall, but certainly not short. His hair was cut neatly and short on the sides, styled up slightly, and was a dark brown color. He was wearing a high school uniform shirt and tie with black slacks. Damon looked to his side, and saw that both Spencer and Amanda had remained, and were motionless, looking between their friend and their enemy in rapid succession.

I have to help them...

Damon began fidgeting. He placed a hand on his knee and began to push himself up, before collapsing back down again, much to the pleasure of their enemy. He began laughing loudly.

"Is this really an enemy they fear?" He pushed a pair of glass higher up his nose, making them glint in the light. "If they fear Nyarlathotep so much, and these are his champions, I shouldn't have any trouble claiming the prize."

Nyarlathotep? The thought of the name sent a shiver through Damon, and made his eye begin to twitch more. Suddenly, he jerked against the dumpster he was resting against, and used it to slide up onto his feet. He stood, shakily, bracing himself against the cold blue metal of the dumpster.

"Leave them alone..." Damon took a shaky step forward. "They can't use powers yet. Your fight's with me."

The man raised an eyebrow. "Wow, you must really be a Persona user. A normal person who would have been hit by that would have surely died." He smiled, and gave a slight bow. "Allow me to introduce myself, at least. My name is Suketarou Fubayashi, and I have the Fool Arcana." He raised his hand again, now pointed at Damon. "Your names don't matter. You are my enemy."

_Are you really going to just die?_

A voice from deep inside Damon cried from the depths of his soul.

I can't just die... I need to keep them safe... I need to keep her safe...

The voice inside his soul let out a bemused snicker.

_You know my name. We shall form a contract, written in blood and signed with your soul._

Damon began feeling weary, staggering on his feet. He began glowing red, causing Suketarou to react with shock. He began casting more wind, buffeting Damon, who continued to stand upright. One blast opened more small cuts on his face, sending a flurry of small droplets away with the wind.

_Stare into the Abyss, Damon... Do you see it staring back at you? _

Damon looked up at Suketarou, right as his sweatshirt was blown apart, flying away with a blast of wind. His eyes turned a deep, full red color, and had stopped twitching.

"Zagreus!"

Sudden energy was coursing through him. The blasts of wind coming from Suketarou seemed to do nothing, hardly even making him stagger. Curled ram's horns began growing from the sides of his head, making tight spirals. An ethereal red hue came over him, giving him an almost ghostly appearance.

"Now, Suketarou, right?" Damon opened and closed his fists a few times, taking in his new power. "I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to try this new power out on you." He lashed his arm out to the side, sending a strong enough shockwave to knock Suketarou back onto his heels.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Friday, May 13th, 20XX

Damon curled his fist. The power flowing through him was intense, making the air around him warp from the intensity. Now that he had taken his new form, the red energy that had surrounded him was now a royal purple color, which clung to his body like a cloak of the aether. Amanda stared at him, entirely awestruck. "D-Damon?" she stammered, taking a cautious step back.

He turned to her, and gave a gentle smile. "Don't worry, guys. I can handle this." Damon crouched slightly, digging his feet into the ground, before pushing off, sprinting directly at Suketarou, right arm reared back for a punch. Reacting instantly, Suketarou leapt backwards and spun a tarot card that appeared in front of his face. A large red demon with powerful muscles came from within him, and met Damon's fist, clasping around it with a much larger hand. Damon grunted, and swung his left, to the same result. The two stood there for a moment, pressing against one another with extreme force.

Amanda fell to her knees, in awe of the power. The two of them were radiating energy, firing off bolts of lightning from the raw power exuded. She felt someone tugging on her, and looked up to see Spencer, who was yelling her name, although she couldn't hear it. Her eyes trained back to Damon, who had broken free, only to take a swing from the demon Persona. He roared back at it, and slammed a leg into the Persona's ribs, which made Suketarou react in pain too.

"We need to move, Amanda!" Spencer hauled her onto her feet and took her by the wrist, pulling her further down the alley. This was uncharacteristically serious for Spencer, who usually spent his days hopping from the beds of strange women without a single care in the world. His eyes were staring ahead with complete seriousness, and his normal smile was replaced with a scowl. "We're so fuckin' useless right now, all we'll do is get hurt."

The pair took up behind another business's dumpster much farther down the alley, almost at the exit of it. Amanda sat against the wall, allowing her view to be obstructed. "How are we supposed to help?" She slammed her fist against the ground. "You're right... We are both completely useless. I mean, we just left him down there..."

"The two of you would have been in the way."

Amanda and Spencer jumped to attention. Standing opposite them, perfectly upright while rubbing the inside of a small whiskey glass, was Howard. He winked at them, wearing a coy smile. "You need to hurry up and make your contracts. If the three of you want to survive this, that is."

Amanda swallowed hard. "What the hell is going on? What's a Persona? We didn't get any explanation."

Howard snickered. "Yes, our Master isn't very patient, unfortunately. He had sensed the approached of the Fool, and wanted to get a head start. Once he confirmed that your friend could contact his Persona, he knew he had to take a shot."

Spencer stomped his foot. "Bullshit! Does he think we're cannon fodder?"

"Quite the opposite." Howard nodded his head towards the fight. Damon had just been smashed across the head with a piece of concrete rubble picked up by the demon. He fell to a knee, blood running down his head, but after a moment, he roared back onto his feet, sending a powerful uppercut into the demon's jaw. Without resting, he bounced onto the nearby alleyway wall, and pushed off, carrying a swinging leg across the demon's head, who staggered for a moment before evaporating into smoke. Damon stood upright, breathing heavily. His undershirt was shredded, and upon noticing this, he ripped it off himself, revealing a body full of slightly toned muscles adorned with new cuts and bruises from the fight. Amanda caught sight of his fists, which were scratched and damaged from constantly striking. His fingers had become longer, bonier, and more animalistic. His nails had grown and sharpened into points, and with a glance back, she could barely catch protruding fangs coming from his upper row of teeth, which made Amanda shiver.

"What did you do to him?" Spencer slammed his fist into the wall. "He looks like a monster!"

Howard smiled. "That's your power, Persona user." The glass he as rubbing vanished, and after a moment was replaced by another one, which he began polishing once again. "The Persona is the soul given form. Users of the Persona can call upon their own soul and manifest it in battle." Howard scratched at his cheek again, trying to find the words to describe his thoughts. "Our Master is a powerful being that controls the Abyss, where the darkness and vice of humanity roam, free of consequence. He has given you access to that very power. And your friend, oh boy, did he get one _doozy_ of a powerful vice."

Amanda rubbed her nose. "Vice? Abyss?" She sighed. "This is confusing..."

Howard raised a finger. "Notice anything strange about your friend?"

"Do you mean the horns, the crazy expression, or the hands of Satan?" Spencer snorted at Howard. "Yes, of course he looks strange. That's why I want to know what you did to him!"

"No, look at him. Look at his body. Think; what's happening to him? Why is his growing stronger?"

Damon roared again, making a noise that seemed to be a cross between his own voice and that of something otherworldly. He lunged at Suketarou, who spun his tarot card again, and blasted Damon backward with a blast of wind. Damon flipped back onto his hand, sprung upward, and landed atop a dumpster. He sprung into the air again, bounced off a nearby wall, and used the momentum to carry a dropkick toward Suketarou, who responded with a jump backwards and another blast of wind, which did little beside knock Damon off course, sending him smashing into the ground. As he stood, he seemed to be emanating even more power than before, creating so much energy the air around him seemed to be vibrating, like hot pavement in summer. Every muscle in his body seemed to be rippling, tensing, pulling so hard they might tear, giving him an evil, almost demonic presence.

"He keeps getting hurt." Amanda grimaced as she said it. "He keeps getting hurt and it's making him stronger, isn't it?"

Howard clapped. "Ding ding! You nailed it, baby!" The glass he had in his hand had vanished once again. "That'll go for your two, too. Your powers grow stronger with emotion, and nothing makes them more powerful than injury. Fear." Howard began becoming more transparent. "When you begin to truly fear, you, too, will be able to hear the Abyss calling. Do not ignore it, for your own sakes." With that last word, he vanished.

"Does that mean?" Amanda trained her eyes back on Damon, who was dodging barrages of concentrated wind blasts. When he looked back that them, his eyes were replaced with glowing purple orbs, completely consuming his normal eyes. Despite that, in that moment, as the two exchanged glances, even at this distance, she confirmed that what Howard had said was true. "Spence, he's terrified."

Spencer rubbed the back of his head, letting out a sigh. "I'd love to help him, you know. I'd love to, but you and me, we'd just get in the way."

She stood upright, and walked around from behind their hiding place. "Do you remember when we all met?"

"You can't be serious."

Her heart was beating out of her chest. Her ears were pounding. "You guys protected me from those bullies."

"Amanda, that was a long time ago. You getting hurt here won't help anything."

She began walking, swallowing hard before taking the first step. The blood was firing through her veins and she walked. A stray blast of wind fired past her face, opening a small slice on her cheek, which made her wince. She stopped, rubbed her cheek, and looked at the blood, wearing a small, gentle smile on her face.

_The heart wants what the heart wants._

Suddenly, a splitting pain opened through Amanda's head, knocking her to her hands and knees. She let out a scream, pulling Damon's attention for a minute, who stared at her with absolute fear on his face. He screamed her name, but Amanda couldn't hear. Her entire mind was consumed by the Abyss.

_You want to keep him safe, but you're powerless. Say my name... I will give you power._

Amanda pressed her head against the ground, slowly releasing a red and black aura. Suketarou, from his spot, realized what was happening, and let out a swear under his breath. He lifted a hand, aimed at Amanda, and winced. A blast of wind fired from his fingers. Damon sprung from where he stood, hoping to intercept the magic

The aura clinging to Amanda suddenly roared to life, deflecting the blast into the air. She stood upright, shakily, her eyes trained on Suketarou.

"Menhit!"

The wind around her whipped up so intensely that the hair tie holding her side ponytail in place was blown apart, causing her hair to be whipped up around her, which grew wild like a lion's mane after it had fallen over her shoulders. Damon stopped, momentarily regaining his composure enough to have a single cohesive thought.

"Amanda?" he muttered.

She smile at him, the aura surrounding her relaxing. A blush came to her face as she saw Damon staring at her, and she looked back to Suketarou. "It's two against one, Fool. Do you still want to fight?"

Amanda felt a gentle hand fall on her shoulder. Spencer stepped beside her and began cracking his knuckles and rolling his neck.

"You're an idiot." He picked up a bent pipe from the ground nearby, and gave it a few test swings before pointing it at Suketarou. "Make that three on one. I might not be as useful as them, but I'll be damned if I'm shown up like this."

Suketarou spit. "I have the most powerful Arcana in this stupid game. You fools dare stand against me?" He slammed his fist into a nearby wall. "I won't give up so easily." He turned to face them again, spinning his tarot card once again. Suddenly, energy began welling around him.

Damon took his place alongside his friends. His composure had been slightly regained, although he was still surging with energy. The glowing orbs had vanished, however, and his eyes had returned to normal.

"Thanks, guys." He winced slightly, trying to clench his fist on his right hand. His skin had been severely burned, and both his pinky and ring finger were broken, bending in abnormal directions. "I don't have a left lot in the tank."

"Stand back and let us handle it." Amanda smiled at him, giving him a gentle pat on the back. "You've had your turn."

Suketarou roared, finally causing an explosion of energy, whipping up debris and making the trio flinch. He want panting, breathing heavily, and finally smile at his foes. "You fools. You allowed me to summon my strongest Persona." Behind him was a large, golden armored demon wielding a bladed staff. "Kin-Ki... He will destroy you all! You and your weak Persona!" He began laughing maniacally. "I am the Fool! My Arcana is absolute!"

Damon slid his foot backward, taking a very natural fighting position, leaning forward on his leg. "Spencer, you need to watch out. One hit from that thing and you're probably toast."

A single bead of sweat rolled down his face, but he wore the same confident smile. "Think I don't know that, dumbass?" He chuckled. "You might be stronger than me right now, but don't go acting high and mighty."

Amanda held her hand outwards. "He's coming."

Kin-Ki lunged forward, bringing the blade down towards Amanda, who didn't flinch. Her hair and eyes turned a fiery orange, and she called out a word that seemed to come naturally. "Agilao!" From her hand, and huge explosion of fire sent the demon flying backwards, smashing into the ground with a huge crash.

Spencer began running toward Suketarou, trailing his pipe at his side. From the other side, Damon ran as well, holding his arms, claws ready, at his sides. Kin-Ki jumped onto its feet and swung at Damon, who easily slide on his side under the blade before springing up and landing a powerful headbutt into the demon's torso. Suketarou winced in pain, unable to see as Spencer came up beside him and swung his pipe into the boy's arm, shattering it with a hollow crunch. Unable to keep his focus, Kin-ki vanished, allowing Damon the chance to close the distance, crouch directly before Suketarou, and send an uppercut into his jaw. Suketarou flew backward, slammed off a nearby wall, before settling into the ground, sprawled out, and completely immobile.

The trio approached his cautiously, Amanda keeping an arm trained on him constantly. "If you move, I'm going to blow you away," she warned, prompting a weak laugh from Suketarou.

"You've won already. Just give it up." He twisted his head to the side to spit out a mouthful of blood. "I'm beaten. Now, you can kill me and take my card."

Damon raised an eyebrow. "Kill? Who said anything about killing?"

He laughed again. "Idiots... Don't you know a thing? This is a death game. You won. Congratulations... You beat your first opponent." He wore a cocky smile and he forced himself to sit upright against the wall of the alley. "But you're too weak still... I would have killed you, goat-boy."

Damon winced. "Goat-boy?" He reached up, placed his hands on his horns, and gasped. "Since when have I had these?!"

Suketarou spit out more blood. "You two... Your Persona are strange. They aren't like other Persona. It's like they aren't fully formed... Like they're still a part of you..." His voice was growing weaker. "You've gotta be kidding... I don't want to die yet..." He let out a chuckle, but it sounded more like a gentle wimper. "I guess life isn't fair like that, huh?"

Both Damon and Amanda reacted instantly, leaping backwards, Damon scooping Spencer by the arm and yanking him in the same direction. Two figures had jumped from the high rooftop, landing in front of Suketarou, each wielding tarot cards. They were both girls; wearing the same school uniform as Suketarou. One was tomboyish, wearing the school's track uniform, high shorts and t-shirt, with pixie cut black hair. The other was a more regal girl, wearing the actual uniform like her fallen comrade.

"We told you not to come, stupid." The tomboyish girl scolded her friend without turning to face him, instead, keeping eyes trained on on Damon. "What the hell is with this guy?"

"He seems to use a strange Persona." The regal girl stood upright, studying both Damon and Amanda with interest. "Same with her. Rather than summon a Persona, they seemed to be fused with them. Strange indeed."

Damon clenched his fists, cringing slightly as he did so, before taking his forward stance again. "If you want to fight, I'm more than prepared."

The tomboyish girl snickered, before dropping her own tense stance, and turning to face her partner. "You're free to go. But just know, we won't underestimate you next time."

The regal girl also dropped her stance. "You've beaten us today, however, Consider this surrender. In exchange for this, we can answer any questions you might have."

Damon stood upright. "Why did he attack us? Why are you doing this?"

"We are all fighting in someone else's war. They watch us while we fight." The tomboy explained, hauling Suketarou over her shoulder and standing him up gently. "Each team has a different master, who gives them access to Persona. The winning team gets to have any wish granted to them. It's a battle royale."

"And why teams?"

"We have each been granted an Arcana. That Arcana corresponds to our very own Persona. Twenty-two Arcana means that there are seven teams, all with three, besides one that has four." The regal girl explained this while checking her friend, giving a worried click of her tongue. Suketarou had completely passed out due to injury. "Next time we meet, it will be to the death. Don't forget that."

The opposing trio left the alley, and suddenly, without warning, the damage to the alley was completely gone. For the first time since the fight, Damon could hear the sounds of the city around him, but before he could form a cohesive thought, he collapsed to the ground, succumbing to darkness. Amanda fell with him, also passing into unconsciousness.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Saturday, May 14th, 20XX

Damon had returned once again to the strange classroom. He was seated in the only desk in the room, which was a calming purple color, gleaming off of soft velvet. Below him, at the desk in the front of the room, was a strange man in a full tuxedo. His nose was very long, his eyes sunken, and a devious grin was upon his face. Suddenly, as if hit with a flood of memories, Damon came to the realization of where he was. The man was named Igor, and had appeared to him the night before he had received his Persona.

"Welcome back, Mr. Advent." His voice was higher pitched than anticipated, which filled Damon with extreme deja vu. "I sense you're beginning to remember this place."

Damon gave a hesitant nod. "Yes... We've met before." He tried to move his right arm, but winced as pain fired up his arm like needles. Upon closer examination, he was shocked to find his skin purple and damaged, and feeling as though it had been severely burned. "What the hell?" Two fingers were completely broken, making it impossible for him to make a fist. Damon checked his other arm, finding it in a less damaged state, but still a bright red color, as if beaten constantly. "What happened to me?"

Igor seemed to begin to shift and form, as if he was an image breaking up on the television. "We do not have much time, Mr. Advent. The force that controls your life will soon know I am visiting you, and all of my work will be for nothing." Damon swallowed hard, quietly preparing to heed Igor's words. "Your master is the embodiment of evil. A dark god given birth to by the fears of mankind. He is the fear of every human who has ever lived given form. You must not give him what he wants, no matter the case. Otherwise, it is likely you will doom humanity to destruction."

"What do you mean? What does he want?"

Igor began to lose his form more regularly. "Follow what you know is right, Damon. Reform the world, but not in his image." Damon could see a smile form on his face. "I will return in time to guide your further. For the sake of your friends, do not die."

* * *

Sunday, May 15th, 20XX

Morning

Damon shot upright, breathing heavily. He was drenched in sweat, and upon trying to gain his bearings, he felt pain fire up his right arm once again. He had been sleeping on a couch in a spacious studio apartment. Large windows let in the skyline of Gaia City, meaning he was high in the sky. Damon threw the blankets off of him and stood up, feeling more pain rocket through his body, nearly taking his breath away. He touched the side of his head, where most of the pain was originating from, and felt bandages wrapped around his head. His right arm too had been tightly bound, and his two broken fingers were splinted together, making it impossible for him to make a fist.

"Welcome back to the world of the living." Damon jumped at the sound of Spencer's voice. He always had a way of doing that. A mug full of coffee was extended towards Damon, which he obliged with a nod. "It's black."

Damon took a sip, and for a moment, he felt revitalized. It was then the realization dawned on him, firing him back down for this momentary high. "Where's Amanda?"

Spencer chuckled. "No need to worry; she ran out to get more bandages. After all, do you really think I could have done that well patching you up?"

Damon blinked a few times. "How long was I out for?" He felt a strong craving somewhat suddenly as his senses returned to him. It had been a while since he smoked.

"You slept an entire day. No joke." Spencer nodded at his couch. "I was worried you were going to be swallowed by the thing like pocket change. You just wouldn't wake up."

Damon let out a sigh, returning to the sofa once again and taking a seat, staring blankly out the window. He took an idle sip of his coffee. "I can't remember anything from last night, Spence." Damon pulled the blanket over him, covering his waist. "All I can remember is wanting to stop him... I don't know what I would do if the two of you ever got hurt."

Spencer took a place beside Damon, giving him a gentle pat on the shoulder. "Dude, I'd be afraid to see what would happen then, too." He also started staring out the window. "You were completely out of control. Unstoppable. You kept moving even though your body should have given in."

"...Afraid..." Damon chimed in, staring down into the rippling abyss of dark coffee he held in his hands. "I was so afraid. Afraid for you, afraid for Amanda..." His hands began shaking lightly. "Did I kill him? I don't remember if I did?"

Spencer shook his head. "No," he said plainly. "His friends showed up at the last minute and saved him. Once they left, you and Amanda both collapsed, and I carried you back here. It was lucky we went so late, too. No one was walking around to ask me why I was hauling around two people over my shoulders."

Damon looked to the far wall, where the television was mounted on the wall, playing the morning news. "Hey, wasn't this facing the TV last time I was here?"

"Oh, yeah," Spencer looked over at the television. "Amanda wanted to make sure you were getting some sunlight. She basically treated you like you were a plant yesterday."

The door to the apartment flew open, and Amanda entered, carefully balancing the door with her backside while shuffling herself and her shopping haul inside. Spencer chuckled. "Speak of the devil."

A keyring was clenched in her teeth, but she spoke through it anyway. "Ah made shure ah got lotsa snacks while I was 'shere." Damon and Spencer watched from over the couch, and when she realized this, she spit out the keyring and ran over, practically throwing herself over the back of the couch to embrace Damon at the neck, pulling him in for a suffocating hug. "You're awake! I can't believe you woke up!" She let go, moving to the side slightly to look at Damon while holding him by the shoulders. "How do you feel? Are you alright? How's your arm?"

Damon smiled, greatly appreciating the warmth of Amanda's body on him. It was a feeling he could never get tired of. "I'm doing okay. My arm is seriously messed up, though." He chuckled. "My head, too."

Amanda let out a relieved sigh. "We moved the couch to let you get sunlight. I made sure you were drinking some water, too." She stood upright, and returned to her groceries, moving them to the kitchen and beginning to unpack them. "I swear, the lady at the drugstore thought I was going to a warzone or something. It was definitely taking everything in her being not to ask me about all the gauze." She looked up as if remembering something. "Oh, and you should probably change. You're still in the same jeans from the other night, and they got kinda ripped up."

Damon realized then he hadn't even checked himself out beyond his bandages. He was wearing one of Spencer's shirt, which was obvious by the fact is was twice his size. "What happened to my shirt? And my hoodie?"

Spencer stood and went to the other end of the apartment, rustled through some things, and returned with the tattered remains of his sweatshirt. The zipper holding it together was completely gone, and both sleeves were completely shredded away, with the right sleeve in particular being entirely gone to the shoulder, whereas the left one was mere shredded after reach the elbow. "It was the first tragedy of the night. Your shirt was destroyed beyond recognition."

Damon nodded. "I see. Damn, I loved this sweatshirt." He stood again, shakily as before, and made his way to the kitchen area, taking a seat on one of the chairs there. "So, what's the plan?"

Taking a seat across from him was Spencer, following him closely. "Plan for what?"

"Well, we're going to have to fight more of them, right?" Damon carefully studied Spencer's face. "You said he had friends come and save him."

Amanda, having finished what she was working on, pulled up a seat at the table as well, sitting to the side of her friends. "Two of them came down, yeah. They went to one of the private school, although I'm not sure which one. It could have been Our Lady of Faith, but it also might have been Terra Nova Academy." She was clutching a styrofoam cup of tea from the chain coffee place that was located right outside of the college apartment complexes. "We only know the Fool's power, and it's certainly frightening."

Damon rubbed his chin, trying to pull up the memories from after he had been thrown into the dumpster. "He could change his powers, right?" Some of the fight was coming back to him, but was marred by huge patches of darkness and fear. "I remember he firing off blasts of wind, but did he switch to a close combat form?"

Amanda nodded once. "He used three Persona, although I believe the third Persona was too powerful for him to handle. He was completely unable to control it, and even took damage from Spencer just hitting him with a pipe."

"Yeah, it was really strange." Spencer motioned to the side of his head. "You took cement to the head, and were completely fine. He took a pipe to the arm, and I can tell you from experience that it broke."

Damon raised an eyebrow. It explained the bandages around his head, that was sure. "What happened to me?"

Amanda clapped her hands together. "I completely forgot that you were busy fighting! You weren't there to hear Howard explain to us about Abyssal Personas." Damon raised an eyebrow of inquiry, which Amanda obliged. "You see, most Personas are summoned and come out of the person using them. Like with Suketarou, if you can remember, he kept summoning demons from his body and they acted outside of him. But with us, I guess our Personas stay in our bodies and give us power directly. It's weird, and I feel like I'm missing some stuff."

"You are."

Howard pulled up a seat at the table, filling in the final side, clad in his same suit as the last time Damon saw him. Everyone at the table stared at him, wide eyed, making him fluster slightly. "Sorry to intrude. I'm actually here to fill Damon in on what he missed, and let you know your next course of action."

"So you're just going to do that now?" Spencer sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You're just going to appear all the time? Everywhere?"

Howard smiled. "Yup! I'm going to guide you three to victory. But first, you need to know the rules of the competition."

Damon gave a cautious nod towards Howard. "Go ahead, then."

"First things first, you don't need to worry about collateral damage. When you enter into combat with another Arcana, you'll instantly be transported to a mirror reality where you can cut loose." His tone was matter of fact and even. "Second things second, you all have heard the name of our Master, and you may now call upon him in battle." Howard winked his blackened eye, making Damon shudder. "Even if you don't think you know, much like your Personas, you already know in the abyss of your soul. If you call him, you will grow extremely powerful, but lose complete control, and likely deal irreparable damage to your body. There's a reason I can't fight, after all." He cleared his throat. "And finally, your enemies are already on the move. You have the opportunity to gain a new teammate, too, coming up, so keep your eyes open. Remember, there are twenty-two of you, meaning someone is left out of their three friends. You will be able to sense a Persona user when you get within a certain range of them, so be prepared to fight."

"Thank you, Howard." Damon smiled at the man. "You support is appreciated."

Howard grinned. "Don't get attached, Advent. I just don't want to see the hand-picked pieces of my Master get taken off the board in the first match. You will soon meet with your fate, and if you are meant to continue, you will live." He began fading away. "The judgement of forgotten gods is upon you. Will you go softly into that good night? I wonder." And he vanished.

"I guess that answers some of my questions," Damon chuckled, facing towards his friends again. "I guess we're always being watched."

Amanda raised an eyebrow. "Judgement of forgotten gods? What the heck does that mean?"

"To be fair, I feel as though that was far less cryptic than he normally is." Spencer stood up, and walked into a more empty area of the apartment. "I need to show you guys something. I think I got my Persona thing, and I wanted to show you."

The pair stared at him in awe. "Seriously?" asked Damon, who stood up and followed him. "What's your power?"

Spencer shrugged, waiting for Amanda to follow, who did, standing beside Damon. "I'm not really sure, but I got it that night while I was taking you guys home. It gave me the strength to lug you guys all the way here on foot."

"Should we all compare our powers?" Amanda looked between her friends after posing the question. "Won't we destroy your apartment?"

"Good point." Spencer nodded a few times. "Let's take this outside, then."

The trio rode the elevator down the apartment building and exited the door. Damon had commandeered a new hooded sweatshirt, grey this time, and had it drawn over his head, lighting a cigarette the moment they exited the building. They went into the courtyard, a distance from the building, and stood in a wide grassy patch dotted with a few trees and benches. A handful of people were mulling about; one was walking his dog, while a couple chatted on a distant bench. Amanda eyed them cautiously.

"Won't they be able to see us?"

Damon took a place beside her, eyeing the couple she was, and shook his head. "If Howard wasn't lying, we should be free to use our powers anytime without affecting the real world."

Spencer stood opposite them and began opening and closing his fists a few times, taking in short breaths to pump himself up. "Alright..." he grumbled, rolling his neck, "Here goes nothing, then." A red aura began collecting around him, and in that instant, the Damon noticed that the couple seat at the bench had vanished. When he checked over his shoulder, the dogwalker was gone too. He then turned back to Spencer, who muttered the name of his Persona.

"Hadad!"

Instantly, his shirt was blown off, shredding apart into tiny fibers. His muscles had expanded instantly, and his skin seemed to turn into a bright red, almost inflamed color. The two canine teeth from his top row of teeth had grown, too, jutting from under his upper lip, while a pair of gazelle-like antlers grew from his head. When he stopped transforming, he was a mass of red muscle that rippled and bulged constantly, with a pair of antlers up sticking from his forehead. He let out a breath he had been holding, and spoke with a voice that seemed to be overlayed with a much deep one. "What do you think?"

Damon's eyes widened instantly. "Holy shit! That's amazing, Spencer!"

Amanda nodded in agreement. "That is impressive, for sure." She clapped her hands together. "Come, Menhit!" She, unlike Spencer, instantly took her form after a burst of red aura. Her hair appeared like a lion's mane, changing to a bright scarlet color, while the rest of her form remained relatively normal. Damon noted that as she looked at him, her eyes had changed to scarlet as well, and were slitted into cat-like pupils. "From what I remember, I can use magic blasts just like Suketarou was." She held her hand out towards the open part of the grassy field, and suddenly took on an intense focus. "Agilao!" A huge snapped ball of fire lanced from her open palm and shot into the distance, coming to the ground and exploding magnificently.

Spencer chuckled, holding his hand out the same way. "I can do that, too!" He took in a breath, and exhaled, "Frelia!" A humming blue mass of energy launched form his palm, exploding into a small mushroom cloud when it landed some distance away. "I guess it's a different kind of power than yours."

Amanda nodded. "I wonder how many more types of magic there are..." She turned to Damon, and gave him a gentle smile. "We both saw yours, but you said you don't remember it, right? Call your Persona."

Damon sighed, pulling down his hood. He took in a deep breath. "Zagreus!" Like Amanda, his instantly took on his new form, and did not destroy his clothing like his previous usage. Curled ram's horns came from his forehead and wrapped around tightly alongside his temples. His hair grew more jagged and stiff, and his teeth sharpened into shark-like points. Oddly, however, he didn't feel the same as he did then. He couldn't quite put it all together, but he knew something was off.

Amanda opened her mouth to praise him, but before words came from her mouth, a scream sounded in the distance. It was the crying of a little girl.

* * *

Author's Note:

I realized this after choosing my setting, but there isn't exactly a way to force in the exposition at this point of where the characters are situated in the world. Like Persona, it is indeed in the real world, but instead of being set in Japan, Gaia City is located on the western coast of the United States. Being an AU, however, this is a much more immigration-heavy city, so think of it as an alternate reality San Francisco, with a higher Asian immigrant population.

Apologies if this was a sudden transition, I just didn't want to lose any readers along the way with poor worldbuilding. Hindsight is 20/20.

Best,

Basement Spaghetti Studio


End file.
